Minder (1979)

Minder, the new six part drama starring Shane Richie comes to DVD from Fremantle Home Entertainment in a 2 disc set on 16th March 2009, following its critically acclaimed run on Five. Not a re-make of the original series, which ran for 10 series throughout the 80's, the popular and iconic drama has been revised, re-cast and re-filmed for a modern 21st century audience.

The DVD set contains all 6 episodes of the series plus extras, including a behind the scenes feature, some hilarious bloopers, deleted scenes and the promotional trailer for the show. Described as "fast paced and fun" (Nuts), "beautifully, cinematically shot" (The Daily Mail) and "tight and funny" (The Independent), Minder stars Shane Richie (Eastenders), Lex Shrapnel (Thunderbirds) and, as in the original incarnation, the city of London itself.

The series is a charming and engaging comedy-drama that is as much a love letter to the UK capital as it is a warm and very funny portrayal of the unlikely relationship between two amiable, if sometimes infuriating, characters.

Shane Richie stars as Archie Daley, the nephew of Arthur Daley (played in the original series by George Cole). Archie is a sharp-suited wheeler-dealer with an interest in anything likely to make him a quick bit of cash, be it DVDs, mobile phones, cheap wine or contemporary art. Keeping an eye on Archie throughout his misguided capers is his charismatic and morally sound minder, Jamie Cartwright (Shrapnel), a former boxer, soldier and ex-con who knows how to handle himself and has now taken to driving a cab for a living. Throughout the series, each self-contained episode sees Archie and Jamie comically contending with a variety of colourful contemporary characters, from wannabes and has-beens, to villains and police.

In addition to its lovingly shot London locations (from landmarks such as the Gherkin, Tower Bridge and the London Eye to the towers of Walworth and the busy markets of Borough and Bermondsey), the series also features guest and cameo appearances from a cast of great British acting talent, including the likes of Rik Mayall, Meera Syall, Maureen Lipman, Nickolas Grace, Claire Higgins, Josie Lawrence and others.

Please note - Disc special features are subject to change, may differ from format to format and/or may differ from region to region.